February was no fun.First it was a cold that turned into the bronchial thing that "everybody" got then it was a horrible 2 day flu and then it was my back.Oh, did my back hurt.For no good reason.I did not get as much painting done as I wanted to do.Imagine that.

I have a place in the back room that I call "The Hall of Shame."It is where ugly paintings go until I can make them pleasing to me.I make them face the wall so I do not have to look at the ugliness that I, myself, brought forth into this world.I have a painting that has been shamed enough and today I started to make it, and me, feel better.

I know.

U G L Y.

I just could not get anything about this to look good to me.I even titled it, " What Pears Dream About," thinking that that would make it better.Did not make it better.

I felt immediate release at my pent up anger at this painting the moment I started to paint over it.For real.Instant relief.

I was even smiling by this time!

I might of even been singing to my self by this point.

I adore stripes. Tomorrow I will cover up any vestige of ugly pears with a layer of alien pods.

Won't that be nice?

Out of ugly came a very nice painting, if I do say so myself!You can see it over here on Artfinder.com!

I have been waiting for the next big thing to come to me so I could paint it. In the meantime, I puttered around painting a little of this and a little of that...

I have been looking at the fig tree out the back, now that the leaves are gone, and admiring the wavy lines and curls of the branches.

I stand at the sink when I am washing out my paint brushes and look out the back at this view. ﻿Well, that view took shape and color on canvas....

Now, I know this does not "look" like the fig tree, but it is totally inspired by the fig tree!

Another background in progress...

One of the great things about being an artist, is that I can think of something and then just do it! I wondered what a version of the fig tree would look like in a very muted palette. Well, Heck! I can just DO THAT!

It is not the same thing as wondering about if I can fly a plane. I cannot.

I can actually think of something tangible and make it happen! I have that magic in me! oooh!

This was a "Fish Stick" painting I did a year or so ago. I like the long tall size.But nobody bought this fish stick so I started to paint a mid century inspired design over the top and there it sat.It was not working for me.So I painted over it.Again.

This is called, "3 over Pear1"

Sounds like a mathematical term to me.

Long and TALL.48" X 7"

I painted this last year and used colors that I normally don't use.Nobody bought this painting that I called, "Shrimp and Grits," so now it is gone to be a Math Pear.

This was a very ugly part of the transition.That just looks bad. Like a red rotting fig.Had to make drastic changes...

Whew!This looks SO much better!"3 over Pear2"

Sometimes ya just have to persist until the right thing happens.Then you have to know when to stop.

This was about the third go-around on this painting...

Still on the pear kick...But these did not please me.I tried too hard, and it showed.

I have been waiting for the next series of paintings to begin. Waiting. Painting owls. Waiting. Painting backgrounds. Waiting.

Found it last night!

Today the idea came to fruition and I can just feel it!

Yahoo!

Fruit.

Yep.

Fruit.

I know this is not fruit.These are abstract flowers.I had some odd shaped pieces of canvas laying about and decided to just use them up.Often the best things happen because I am not really trying and just "letting."

The next painting on scrap canvas was just OK and then I just went too far an totally ruined it.That happens.But what happened next is where I am going...

This is what happened on top of those flowers! I LOVE THIS.

When this is on stretcher bars - this is about what it will look like.

And this is how a series is born.

This background was already done.So I started with orange circles.

Painted yellow around the oranges and framed up the other side with gray and now for some green!

Now I know I am making a deconstructed fruit bowl.Oranges on the left and a pink pear will go on the right...

Current and upcoming showsFebruary -MarchTwo month solo show at The Market Barrelin Newberg, Oregon++++++++++++++++++March 2015Group Show with The Green Cabat Beach Books in Seaside, Oregon+++++++++++++++++May 2015Solo Show at The New Morning Bakery in Corvallis, Oregon***********************June 2015Solo show at theNew Seasons StoreRaleigh Hills.***********************August 2015Group Show with The Green Cabat the New Morning Bakery in Corvallis, Oregon++++++++++++++++++Sept-Oct 2015Solo show at the Hillsboro Library***********************Sept-Oct 2015Group show with The Green Cabat the City Hall in Beaverton, Oregon++++++++++++++++++I am always looking for venues for placing art, if you have a venue or suggestion, please let me know!

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